Arpoador (literally, ''the harpoon thrower'') is a region located on the southern zone of the city

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

, in a small peninsula between

Ipanema Ipanema () is a neighbourhood located in the South Zone of the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, between Leblon and Arpoador. The beach at Ipanema became known internationally with the popularity of the bossa nova jazz song, "The Girl from Ipa ...

and Copacabana. Part of its territory belongs to the neighbourhood of Ipanema, and part to Copacabana.

Surfing

Arpoador is considered one of the best metropolitan surf spots in Rio de Janeiro. The rock outcropping creates stable left breakers up to 7–10 feet high. Given its metropolitan location, crowds are ferocious and competitive. Given the fact that waves start to break against the rock on a good day, and that a strong rip tide along the promontory creates a quick re-entry, the take-off point is very small.

Sunset

During some time around

midsummer Midsummer is a celebration of the season of summer usually held at a date around the summer solstice. It has pagan pre-Christian roots in Europe. The undivided Christian Church designated June 24 as the feast day of the early Christian martyr ...

it is possible to see the sun setting over the sea from Arpoador, a rare event on the generally eastward-facing Brazilian coast. On these occasions crowds gather around the place and cheer when the sun disappears.

Walking

Arpoador is a very popular place for tourists and locals to walk. Arpoador lies at the end of a 4km walk from Leblon, with a number of cafes located there to allow people to stop to look at the sea or enjoy the sun. The rock itself is open to the public, with a number of walkways in place to make it easier to scale the rocks.

References

Beaches of Rio de Janeiro (city) Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro Surfing locations in Brazil {{RiodeJaneiro-geo-stub